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A few months ago, I took an EasyJet flight from London Gatwick Airport in England to Aberdeen in Scotland. The scheduled departure time was 11:45am and, when I checked the flight status online, it was listed as “on time.”
I arrived at the airport about two hours before departure. It was during check-in that I discovered that the departure time had been adjusted to 12:30pm.
Like other passengers heading to different destinations, I checked in, passed through security and proceeded to the general waiting lounge. Anyone familiar with London Gatwick, London Heathrow or major airports in Europe, North America and other developed countries will understand that passengers are generally not invited through the public address system every time a flight is due to board. They are expected to monitor the electronic flight information displays for changes to departure times and boarding gates.
I checked the screen and found that my flight was now scheduled to depart at 12:30pm, with the boarding gate to be displayed at noon. We waited.
At about 11:55am, instead of the boarding gate, a new message appeared: the flight would now depart at 2pm, with the boarding gate to be displayed at 1:55pm. We waited again.
At 1:55pm, the information changed once more. The departure time was now 3pm. The boarding gate would be displayed at 2:30pm. We waited. The boarding gate was finally displayed at 2.30pm and passengers proceeded to the designated lounge, expecting boarding to commence immediately.
Yet another round of waiting began. However, boarding eventually started at about 3:30pm and was completed by 3:50pm. The aircraft finally departed for Aberdeen at about 4pm. The pilot explained the delay and apologised to the passengers.
What struck me was not the delay itself but the conduct of the passengers. Nobody shouted at the airline’s staff. Nobody rained curses on the airline or its chairman. Nobody climbed on a table to start an agitation. Nobody blocked the boarding gate or attempted to prevent passengers on other flights from boarding. Nobody dared because there are consequences for such actions. The passengers were undoubtedly disappointed, frustrated and probably angry, but they remained civil.
I witnessed something similar at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada and London Heathrow Airport, England, on another occasion. I had boarded a flight to London Heathrow in Toronto, from where I was connecting to Lagos. The flight was scheduled to depart at about 10:30pm. We checked in and boarded on time. Once inside the aircraft, however, we waited for about two hours.
The cabin crew moved up and down the aircraft, but offered no immediate explanation for the delay. Yet no passenger caused a scene. Nobody shouted at the crew. Nobody attempted to storm the cockpit or create a disturbance.
Eventually, the captain announced that the aircraft was ready for departure. He apologised and explained that documentation and other operational matters had caused the delay. We eventually departed at about 12:30am.
For passengers connecting through London Heathrow to Lagos, and other destinations, the delay had serious consequences. Some of us going to Lagos had originally expected a three-hour layover time. The two-hour delay had reduced that considerably.
When we arrived at Heathrow, we still had about an hour before the Lagos flight was scheduled to depart. Unfortunately, disembarkation, movement through the airport and the security process consumed much of that time. When I eventually scanned my boarding pass at the security entrance, the barrier did not open. Other passengers from the same flight experienced the same thing.
We were referred to the airline counter, where we were formally informed that we arrived too late to go beyond that point at the airport to the boarding gate. Since it was not our fault, the airline rescheduled us for the following day, arranged accommodation in London and provided transportation to the hotel and back to the airport.
Again, there was no confrontation. No passenger fought an airline employee. Nobody blocked the airport gates. Nobody attempted to stop other passengers from proceeding to their flights. We complied with the arrangements and travelled to Lagos the following day.
Now compare these experiences with what happened in Lagos two days ago. I had booked an Air Peace flight to Abuja scheduled for 2:25pm. On my way to the airport, I received an SMS informing me that the flight had been moved to 3:50pm.
At the airport, other passengers and I checked in, passed through security and proceeded to the waiting lounge. At about 3:40pm, passengers were informed that there would be a further delay of about an hour because of the late arrival of the operating aircraft. Flights to Owerri and Enugu were also affected. We later learnt that the aircraft scheduled for Abuja would arrive at about 5:10pm or thereabouts and depart around 5:40pm.
An Air Peace staff member explained that one of the airline’s operating aircraft had developed a fault earlier in the day. This had disrupted the schedule and forced the airline to juggle aircraft and flight assignments. He explained that the Abuja-bound aircraft had arrived and would operate the Abuja flight, while the aircraft assigned to Owerri was still flying to another destination and would return to take the Owerri passengers later, with the flight expected to depart around 8:45pm.
That was when hell was let loose. Some passengers travelling to Owerri became angry and insisted that the Abuja-bound aircraft should instead be sent to Owerri. They questioned why an aircraft should fly to Abuja around 6pm when Owerri passengers would have to wait until 8:45pm to travel to a destination they considered unsafe, to arrive late at night.
A number of the agitated passengers moved beyond the boarding gate and formed a human barricade, insisting that no aircraft would board until the Owerri flight was called. One of the leaders even urged others to march with him towards the Abuja-bound aircraft to prevent passengers from boarding. He started moving towards the tarmac but, fortunately, was followed only by a few people.
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The situation lasted for about an hour until, eventually, the Air Peace station manager personally intervened. He appealed to the Owerri passengers to return to the waiting lounge, explaining that the Owerri flight would depart at the previously announced time of 8.45pm. He offered an alternative to passengers who were uncomfortable arriving in Owerri at night: they could return to the check-in counter, be rescheduled for the following morning and be accommodated in a hotel at the airline’s expense. He also announced that the Abuja flight would proceed to boarding. Eventually, the Abuja flight departed at about 7:30pm and arrived in Abuja. Of course as the flight was delayed by the unruly behaviour of the Lagos passengers, their counterparts in Abuja billed to board the aircraft for another destination were also delayed.
Three countries. Three airports. Three experiences with flight delays and disruptions. However, there were remarkably different responses. The contrast raises an important question: Why do some passengers respond to flight disruptions with patience and restraint, while others respond with aggression, confrontation and sometimes dangerous behaviour?
There is no question that flight delays are frustrating. Nobody enjoys arriving at an airport on time, completing check-in and security procedures, only to discover that the flight has been delayed. Passengers have appointments to keep, meetings to attend, connecting flights to catch and loved ones waiting at their destinations.
Airlines, therefore, have a responsibility to communicate promptly, honestly and clearly when disruptions occur. Passengers deserve accurate information, reasonable assistance and courteous treatment. Passengers also have responsibility to understand that aviation is a highly complex and interconnected system. A flight cannot simply depart because passengers are angry or because the scheduled departure time has arrived. In aviation, punctuality matters. But safety matters more.
Having undertaken courses in logistics and transportation, I have some appreciation of the complexities involved in airline operations. This has made me more sympathetic to airlines when circumstances beyond their immediate control disrupt their schedules. Flight delays have many causes.
Weather is one of the most significant. Thunderstorms, heavy rain, strong winds, fog, poor visibility and other adverse weather conditions can make it unsafe for an aircraft to take off or land. The weather at the departure airport might be perfect, yet conditions at the destination or somewhere along the flight route might make departure impossible.
Airlines and pilots cannot simply decide to fly because passengers are waiting. Aviation operates under strict safety regulations. When conditions fall outside acceptable operating limits, a delay may be unavoidable.
Technical issues are another major cause of delays. Yes, modern aircraft are extraordinarily sophisticated machines and are subject to rigorous inspection and maintenance requirements. Sometimes, a technical fault is detected before departure. Even if the problem appears minor, the aircraft cannot simply be released into service until the appropriate checks have been completed. Passengers may regard this as an unnecessary inconvenience. In reality, a maintenance-related delay can be evidence that the airline is doing exactly what it should do: putting safety before schedule.
Then there is the problem of late arrival of an aircraft. An aircraft may be late arriving from its previous destination because of bad weather, air traffic restrictions, maintenance, passenger handling, fuelling, baggage operations or other unforeseen circumstances. If that same aircraft is scheduled to operate another flight, the delay is transferred to the next destination. This is where the interconnected nature of airline schedules becomes important. An aircraft may operate several flights in one day. A two-hour delay on the first flight can become a two-hour delay on the second, third or even fourth flight.
This is where the Nigerian conversation about Air Peace deserves some perspective. Air Peace undoubtedly has its challenges. However, there is a tendency in Nigeria to treat Air Peace as if every delay is deliberate and every operational disruption is evidence of incompetence. That is neither fair nor helpful.
The reality is that the larger an airline’s operation becomes, the greater the potential ripple effect of a single disruption. When an aircraft suddenly becomes unavailable, the airline must rearrange aircraft, crew, routes and passenger movements. A disruption involving one aircraft can therefore affect several flights and hundreds of passengers.
What I witnessed in Lagos was a group of passengers who were understandably frustrated but whose frustration eventually crossed the line into conduct that could have created a serious security incident. There is a legitimate place for complaints. There is a legitimate place for demanding explanations. There is even a legitimate place for seeking compensation or redress where passengers’ rights have been violated. But blocking boarding gates, intimidating airline personnel, attempting to prevent another flight from operating or moving towards the tarmac is not legitimate passenger activism. It is dangerous.
This also raises a troubling question: where were the airport security personnel? Airport security cannot be limited to checking baggage and searching passengers. Security personnel have a responsibility to maintain order and protect restricted areas. When passengers cross controlled points, block boarding gates, prevent airline staff from performing their duties or attempt to move towards the tarmac without authorisation, security intervention should be immediate.
At Lagos, Air Peace staff appeared to be left to confront the agitated passengers largely on their own. That should concern everyone. An airport is a highly sensitive environment. A seemingly minor confrontation can escalate quickly. A passenger attempting to reach an aircraft or enter a restricted area should never be treated merely as an angry customer. He or she is a security risk. Security breaches at airports must be taken seriously.
There is also a broader economic dimension to the way Nigerians talk about indigenous airlines. Air Peace is not perfect. Neither is any airline. But an indigenous airline that has grown into a major player in Nigeria’s aviation industry should not be casually wished out of existence whenever it encounters operational difficulties.
The airline employs thousands of people directly and supports many more jobs indirectly across aviation, tourism, logistics, hospitality and other sectors. If a major Nigerian airline collapses, the consequences will not be limited to its shareholders. Employees will be affected. Government revenue will be affected. Other businesses within the aviation ecosystem will feel the impact.
National pride should also matter to Nigerians. Air Peace has, over the years, demonstrated that a Nigerian airline can build a significant presence beyond the country’s borders. Its expansion has given Nigeria visibility in the regional and international aviation market. That achievement is commendable.
We could demand better service without wishing Air Peace failure. We could insist on accountability without demonising the airline. We could demand accurate information without abusing airline employees. Above all, we should recognise the difference between legitimate consumer rights and dangerous disorder.
Air Peace may delay flights. It may cancel flights. It may have operational challenges. However, behind every departure time is a complicated chain involving aircraft, pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers, weather, airports, security personnel, ground handlers, baggage operations, fuelling, documentation and dozens of other moving parts.
When one part of that system fails, the consequences can spread rapidly. A delay costs time. A disruption rearranges plans. A cancellation can completely alter a journey. There is one thing passengers should never demand of an airline: that it compromise safety to satisfy a timetable.
The experience at Gatwick taught me that passengers can be frustrated without becoming unruly. The experience at Toronto and London Heathrow taught me that even when a delay causes passengers to miss connecting flights, the situation can still be handled calmly and responsibly. The experience in Lagos demonstrated the danger of allowing frustration to become confrontation. Experience also shows weak or absence of law or state authority.
Nigeria’s aviation industry needs good airlines, good customer service, good communication and stronger passenger protection. Passengers also need better understanding. On-time performance is important. Safety is greater. The ultimate objective of every flight should not merely be to leave the airport at the advertised time. It should be to get passengers to their destination safely. That is the standard aviation must never compromise.
